Page 12 of The King’s Bodyguard (Catkin Trilogy #1)

Corrin

I had been dreaming of this. Goddess Meryn, forgive me, but I had dreamed of this moment, and now that it was upon me, I was not about to let the opportunity pass for the world.

For so long, I had been obsessing over the young tom I called king.

He was the one I was to protect, but I could not protect him against my own desires.

Landis seemed to sense the desperation of the moment himself.

Despite his clear inexperience, he tried to repeat each of my kisses with his own.

It birthed within me hope—a hope that something greater might lie between us.

It sparked within me something deeper than desire, more enduring than the roots of the Grey Mist Mountains.

Is this love? I couldn’t know. As experienced as I was, I was still new to such passions. Still, I knew that this was my chance to prove to Landis how much I cared for him.

It would be up to me to set the pace. I wanted to take it nice and slow, enjoy the soft swell of his lips as they quivered at each touch of my own.

Slowing down again, I nibbled his bottom lip.

The gentle tug of my teeth drew out of him another moan.

He turned now more fully, throwing his damp arms about my neck, angling his head in desperate need.

Was he thinking about how precious and fleeting this moment was?

I didn’t want to dampen our passions and ask, but somehow I knew that my heart echoed his desperation.

I pulled him closer against the edge of the wooden tub.

This time, I took full possession of him.

My tongue darted out, running along the cleft of his lips. Landis gasped, and his lips parted.

I plunged in, tasting the pungent tang of mulled wine, berries, and roast. With each inhale, other scents now tinged the air.

The scent of elandarin petals faded as our musk released into the night air.

My tongue explored every inch of him, a promise of something even more pleasurable.

As his tongue touched mine and then retreated in shock, I chased after him.

Landis was a deer. I was the hunter who always caught his prey.

This time, however, there was only sweet surrender as Landis mewled once again against my mouth.

Even as his moistness mixed with mine, I could sense his initial shock giving way to lust. This Landis taunted me with the sweet sounds of pleasure that were torn out of his body.

He was no companion of the night, nor was he a paid catkin. His moans, the scrabble of his fingers against my neck and shoulder, and the tension thrumming through his body were not the illusory posturing of an entertainer. Landis’s desires were as honest and raw as the tom himself.

My own body could not help but react to Landis’s scent and sweetness.

Even as I slowly eased back, placing a hair of space between us, my cock demanded satisfaction between his thighs.

I glanced down at Landis. The king was staring at me with an odd dazed look on his face as though he had somehow forgotten to breathe.

His pink lips, now swollen and moist, were half- parted.

His blue eyes were staring at me in stunned shock and open desire.

Desire thrummed through me as well. My gaze drifted down to the edge of the water. Kneeling in the tub, the water came to Landis’s lightly tan belly, but I could catch a glimpse of his arousal. I knew exactly what I needed to do.

Gently, I turned Landis around. Without a word, Landis followed my guiding hands, still clearly stunned by our kiss.

When I pillowed his head against my left shoulder, he laid back, completely relaxed.

Whispering sweet promises in his ears, my right hand drifted down, dipping below the water.

The water was still warm. Judging by the petals and the suds, Karl had put some kind of scented oil in the water, a slickness that would aid the king’s pleasure.

My hand closed over Landis’s stiff cock. Instantly, Landis’s hand closed like a vice over my forearm that was now sopping wet.

“C-Corrin,” he choked out. “Wh-what... what are you doing?”

“Providing some relief for my king,” I flirtatiously responded.

“Landis.”

“Pardon?”

“Just Landis. For tonight?” he asked quietly.

“Landis,” I said softly in his ear. “What am I going to do with you, Landis?”

Landis moaned, failing to find words. His hips bucked even as I applied a little pressure in my grip.

I slowly stroked upwards, stopping at the head and teasing his slit with a firm swipe of my thumb.

Landis choked back a long moan, mumbling incoherently about the gods.

I grinned to myself. The gods would, I hoped, be impressed with my handiwork before long.

Deftly, I thumbed his head and then stroked downward.

My fingers gently stroked his balls, rolling them expertly.

Even without seeing them, I could tell that Landis had been well- endowed.

It only tightened my own cock, swelling my arousal even more.

In response, my fingers returned to the base of Landis’s cock and began to stroke up and down in an even rhythm.

Landis was babbling now about something.

I ignored him. Focusing on the feeling of his length within my hand, I allowed my eyes to drift closed.

I cradled his head against mine, cheek to cheek, enjoying the jerk of his hitched breathing, the clutching of his hands on my arms, and the desperate thrusting of his hips.

I refused to allow him to set the pace. I was in charge.

There wasn’t anything I could do for Landis.

Not really. I couldn’t save him from a marriage he feared.

I couldn’t patch up the divide between his peoples, nor could I solve the issue of border disputes.

What I could do was bring him happiness, here and now. I was going to succeed too, godsdammit.

Forcing myself to remain still, I braced against the tub and continued to tease Landis.

On occasion, when his gasps came too fast and hard, I would pause, pinching his head, which nearly made him yowl in lusty frustration.

Eventually, recognizing that Rolf couldn’t wait on us forever, I increased the pace of each stroke.

“Gods-C-Corrin-” Landis’s breath was now labored, and his voice had descended into a cock-tingling huskiness.

“Say it again,” I commanded.

“Corrin!” Landis’s voice rose.

He came finally, hips shuddering, fighting against the weight of my arm. His head fell back, his eyes closed and his face in the partial concentration of that heated moment. Without artifice, he gave way to passion, his cum in a milky spurt dissipating in the warm dark waters of his bath.

Landis sagged instantly, his head lolling in spent bliss.

He nestled his forehead against my breath, gasping for breath even as his body slowly released its pent-up tension.

I gently shifted back, but I did not release him right away.

It wouldn’t do for him to be alone right after.

I didn’t want him to feel used. He’d been used enough.

“Corrin,” he breathed barely above a whisper. “That was...”

A pause.

“Unlike anything I experienced before. Nothing like when I do it myself... even when I’m thinking of you.”

I didn’t say anything. Part of me felt proud of what I had accomplished for Landis. I had done more than live up to his dreams. Part of me felt horrified and sad that this was the highlight of his sexual experiences thus far. He deserved better.

“I’m glad to give you some happiness,” I finally said. “Feel better?”

“Loads,” he said.

Landis shifted a little, cracked open an eye, and bashfully struggled to meet my gaze.

“You always make me feel better,” he sighed, offering a dozy smile. “I wish you could be around every day... but this is good too. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” I replied simply.

And I meant it. Reluctantly, I pulled away, allowing his head to rest on the edge of the tub as he had no doubt been before.

“Don’t fall asleep,” I said in warning. “I don’t want to explain to Ser Hugh and Lord Gareth why I allowed the King to drown in his own tub.”

“Mhm. I won’t.” Landis forced himself to sit upright and began to scrub his arm in a distracted fashion.

“Good.” I rose to my feet. “I have to go deal with something. If you need help, give Rolf a shout.”

“Go deal with...”

Landis’s gaze fell to my breeches, where my own arousal tented the fabric. It was a thick, tightly pressed moleskin pair, but even these couldn’t hide the effects of our kiss and interaction.

“Oh.”

“Yes,” I said, giving him a look. Even as his mouth opened to voice an offer, I quickly retreated. “Goodnight, Your Majesty. Don’t stay up too late.”

“I just might,” he called after me with dark promise.

Shaking my head ruefully, I made a beeline for his bedchamber door, got outside, and sucked in a lungful of chill autumn air.

I refused to look at Rolf who stolidly stood by the door.

The many-wintered Munni veteran no doubt heard and interpreted every single sound that had emanated from the king’s bedchamber.

My scent was unmistakable besides. Not that Rolf would tell tales.

Rolf was a Munni who knew how to hold his tongue.

“Best go get that taken care of, laddie.” Rolf’s amused voice broke into my disconnected thoughts.

I nodded absently and made my way to the nearest garden, where I could spend some time alone with the image of Landis bucking into my hand. He had been like putty, pliant and willing. He had chased pleasure honestly despite his inexperience.

What had he said again? With such honest naivete.

.. Nothing like when I do it myself... even when I’m thinking of you.

I had a feeling the minx was thinking of me as much as I was obsessing over him.

Imagining Landis fingering himself while thinking about me had me flushed all over as though I were entering my rut for the first time.

Gods, Landis , I thought as I freed my cock from confinement. You are going to be the death of me one day.